Looking Back: The People Who Made This Election Worth Following

Amidst all the noise in the election, it was sometimes hard to even hear yourself think. Pundits blabbed, campaign advisors bent the truth, and me and my friends rarely talked about anything else. At times, it seemed like the whole election was one endless cycle of attack ads, disappointing debates and petty name-calling. There were, however, moments of brilliance—moments when my faith was restored, whether it was faith in the American political system, the media or even Hilton. For my last post, I decided not to dwell on the problems (there were many) but on a few shining figures who made the whole thing worth it with their surprising courage and refreshing take on the race.

Katie Couric Who knew that the poorly-rated female anchor would end up giving us one of the greatest interviews—if not the greatest—of the whole campaign? It wasn't Larry King or Jon Stewart, but Katie Couric who stuck it to McCain's VP candidate and did the job of a superb journalist, grilling the hell out of Sarah "I read all of them" and "I'll get back to you on that" Palin.

Hillary and Bill at the DNC For me, pretty much all of Hillary Clinton's candidacy was a bust. I didn't keep my dislike for her tactics quiet on here, and yet, near the end, she came through for me. Watching her and Bill at the DNC give extraordinary speeches in praise of Obama, however staged they may have been, made me proud to support the Democratic party—a party whose two most important figures had gotten past their issues and given themselves in to the larger cause of Democratic unity.

David Letterman Another unlikely media star who got political and gave us one of the most entertaining—and substantial—performances of the whole race. By making a big deal out of McCain's snub, Letterman turned America's late-night audience into accomplices in his low-blow attacks on the candidate. And then, to top it all off, he had McCain on the show and didn't let him off easy. Letterman let it show that even through all the jokes, McCain was not the right man for this country.

__ The CODEPINK women__ Last but not least, these ladies really stepped it up during the election to prove that peace and protest movements are alive, and even come in cute outfits. You may not agree with their disruption of several convention events, but I have to admit that when I heard about their actions at the Palin speech (I was already at the airport) I could not have been more proud that they were making their opposition heard.

And so, I'll ask one last question—did I miss anyone? Let me know who/what you thought made this messy campaign worth it. I'll be blogging here from now on, and I'd love to keep hearing from you. Thanks for reading!